HONG KONG, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK), the sole Renminbi (RMB) clearing bank in Hong Kong, announced here Saturday that it will launch RMB clearing services for trade settlement starting from Monday.

    BOCHK said it had singed a clearing agreement with the People's Bank of China in relation to RMB business, and will invite banks and other financial institutions participating in trade settlement to sign a new clearing and settlement agreement.

    On Wednesday, the People's Bank of China and other departments on the mainland jointly announced the "Administrative Rules on Pilot Program of Renminbi Settlement of Cross-Border Trade Transactions", allowing RMB settlement of cross-border trade transactions for the first time.

    "The initiation of the Pilot Program is of particular significance. It will increase the source channels and the usage of RMB funds," said He Guangbei, vice chairman and chief executive of BOCHK.

    Under the Pilot Program, enterprises will also have greater flexibility in selecting the settlement currency of cross-border trade transactions as well as increasing their capability to hedge exchange risk, minimize costs, and boost the efficiency and profitability of cross-border trade transactions, he said.

    BOCHK, as a participating bank of RMB business, will take the lead in launching a wide spectrum of RMB trade settlement and finance services for its corporate customers to conduct RMB- denominated trade transactions such as remittances, collections and L/C services between Hong Kong and Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan and Zhuhai, said the vice chairman.